Gov. Whitmer Appoints Wenona Singel as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Office of the Governor

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed longtime educator and activist, Wenona Singel, as the deputy legal counsel to the Office of the Governor. Singel is the first American Indian to hold this position in Michigan.

Her position of deputy legal counsel includes serving as the advisor to the Governor on tribal affairs. While serving in this role, she will work to strengthen the government-to-government relationship between Michigan’s twelve federally-recognized tribes and the State of Michigan.

“I’m thrilled to work with Wenona on strengthening our relationships with Michigan tribes,” said Whitmer. “As a first step, I directed each state department to develop a tribal consultation policy.”

Before her appointment, Wenona Singel was an associate professor at Michigan State University College of Law and Associate Director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, and she received a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Previously, she served as a board member of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation following a presidential appointment by President Barack Obama with Senate confirmation. Wenona is an enrolled citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and a member of the American Law Institute, and she has two children with her husband, Matthew Fletcher.

The appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.